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Overheating equipment triggered power cuts affecting thousands of people
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In London, data centres for Guy's and St Thomas' hospitals went down, leading to the cancellation of operations.
Key facts
- This scenario was behind a massive blackout in 2003 in North America
- As one of France's hottest days on record unfolded on 23 June, exasperated people painted white chalk on their windows to screen out the sun
- The chunky metal box malfunctioned, initially leaving more than 100,000 people without power
- Staffell and colleagues estimate that, in temperatures of 40C, the output of gas-fired power stations drops by roughly 10% versus 20C
Summary
As one of France's hottest days on record unfolded on 23 June, exasperated people painted white chalk on their windows to screen out the sun. And in the town of Ergué-Gabéric, in Brittany, the punishing temperatures - around 40C - were too much for one electric transformer. The chunky metal box malfunctioned, initially leaving more than 100,000 people without power. It was a "heat related" incident, according to local authorities, external. The day before the accident, RTE had published a statement, external saying there was "no concern" surrounding the availability of electricity across its network this summer.